It seems to me you are addressing two uniquely different issues in one broad stroke. Green Roofs have nothing to do with renewable energy but everything to do with Landscape Architecture. Landscape Architect’s role in a biomass generation plant may be protesting it’s construction but certainly not acting as the prime consultant. Without question storm water management is an area that Landscape Architects need to reclaim from the engineers. Our office has been having issues with solar panels conflicting with tree plantings in tight site situations and low rise buildings. This causes problems especially since the areas of the site needing the most shade are the sides which the panels face.
The place LA’s could have the biggest impact in the short term is getting the USGBC to aknowledge our existence. The LEED rating system has been a giant step backwards for ecologically sensitive landscape design in many ways. Until more LA’s get involved in how the standards are written and get more points included with more refined nuances, the giant hammer cracking a small nut approach will continue to plague us.
